Presence
by Tasaika
Summary: Death. Not even the word scare him. However the chance of being alone in the darkness frightened him more then anything. How he could wish over and over again just to have someone by his side. AxC short fic! COMPLETED
1. Chapter 1

Short fic time! This was originally a bunch of one shots that I realized are all really cohesive together. So it's going to be relatively short in length, maybe 5-8chapters. There's essentially the present (2012) and a whole lot of jump backs, so pay attention to the dates if your getting a little bit confused. Pairing are mainly AxC with small hints at other obvious ones (KxL). Athrun's 34years old here (ai carumba, older than usual for me), and Cagalli's 32 in present day. So if you really want to find the actual dates and what not you can math 'em. Anyway, that's all the chit chat for me, Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Presence<strong>

* * *

><p>An eerie silence covered the white washed room as mechanical blips and bleeps chimed in the background. Each one recording every detail to ensure the safety of the life it held in its hands. A young blue haired man lay tangled within the mass of wires. A thick mask of gauze was wrapped tightly around his head almost acting like a blindfold as it covered his eyes. Although the truth that hid behind it was nothing that could go unnoticed. Small spotty patches of red had already begun to seep through the dressing. Mangled blue hair was flared about, almost as if a toddler had taken scissors to it.<p>

The slight ruffle of the starchy hospital blankets would be enough to give anyone a startle as the man began to stir. The hollowness of the room allowed every sound to echo and vibrate off the walls and sounded a lot louder than it actually was. Tentatively feeling around the edges of the bed he began to push himself upright. He couldn't understand the undefined darkness. He could see no form of light, not even the slightest of shadow. Trying to keep himself composed and afloat of the slow encroaching feelings of fear, he slowly brought his hands towards his head. He quickly snapped them back as he heard the door rattle and someone enter.  
>"Who's that?" he said with a slight tremble.<p>

"Hi Athrun, I'm Dr. Adams, I was on your case when you were admitted to the hospital. Can you answer a few questions for me?" Came a calming feminine voice.

"Yes, no problem" he said with a slight cringe. Did she really have to talk so loud.

" Okay, can you tell me your name and what the date it is?" she said, as she begun to write furiously on the clipboard. Athrun winced as each pen stroke felt like it dug into the side of his brain, he could already feel a headache coming.

"Athrun Zala, January 23d 2012" he said, raising his hand to his head as if to protect it from the oncoming pain as her pen scratched against the side of his head. "Can this come off already?" Athrun said as his fingers tried to pry the blindfold off. Enough was enough, the loud noises and inability to remember what happened to land him in the hospital was slowly putting him on edge.

"I'm so sorry, we can't do that" the sadness in her voice was so present he was sure she was about to burst into tears.

"What happened" came the sudden growl. Coming off a whole lot more upset then was intended, but tension and panic was setting in as information began to connect itself. He could only remember the long nights work and a sudden void of time completely unaccounted for.

"We tried..everything we could.. really..." she said hesitantly.

"What happened" Athrun repeated, holding his head in his hands. Already he could feel the searing pain of his reality rip forth.

"We were unable.. to salvage the corneas in both eyes... you are blind... permanently" she said, getting quieter with each word. Athrun could instantly feel his whole body go numb from the verbal reinforcement. The numbness quickly left and was replace a coldness unlike no other. He would be left alone in the darkness to rot. Everything that he had worked on to this point would simply sink into the darkness with him. Never before had it him that he would someday regret not having built bonds with anyone. He lurch forward forward, his arm wrapping themselves around his torso, trying to anchor himself.

"Are you okay...can I call anyone for you?" the nurse said as her clipboard fell to the floor with a loud clang as she jump to her feet to try and calm him down. Beside her, the many instruments began to sing in a frenzy of hysterical beeps and alarm.

"Sir, please calm down!" she said, a tinge of panic in her voice. Immediately Athrun began to shake violently as if to contradict her.

"Damnit, he's going into defib" she said looking at the screens that were now blaring alarms. The door shot open once again, this time with several nurses pouring in to aid. "We're going to have to put him into a coma, his body can't cope with the physical and psychological. Charge the paddles to 350 volts!" Athrun could feel himself falling into a weightless and dark pit of nothingness. He heard the nurses work frantically over him, trying to keep him from the grasp of death. _Death_. Not even the word scare him. However the chance of being alone in the darkness frightened him more then anything. How he could wish over and over again just to have someone by his side. Slowly his consciousness faded out into the darkness.

* * *

><p>May 10th 2000<p>

Red waist length hair swung side to side as a tall women walked briskly down the hallway. Her tall frame looked disproportional from the large baby bump that protruded from her stomach. In her hand she had a hefty stack of files, which she quickly balanced on one hand as she used the other to twist open the door nob.

"Athrun, here is everything you asked for. Everything is already completed and ready to go" she said, placing the stack on the corner of his large desk. The blue haired man sat behind his desk completely immersed in a file, not bothering to look up in the slightest. "Is there anything else you wanted finished before I left?" she said with a slight chuckle, things never seemed to change. Athrun was always a workaholic. The boy was a savant, a genius of sorts, even through his years in school he was never comparable to any of the other students. Although the only thing he could ever talk about was work, it was understandable after the situation he had been placed in. Two year's earlier his estrange father had passed away from terminal cancer without leaving a will. Being his one and only son, it was only natural that he would assume control over over his father's software company. At the time it was a small local based company, and in two years he had made it into the thriving international success. All the work over the years had given him a feeling of lasting happiness and accomplishment.

"Have you heard anything from that women?" he said, continuing to read the papers in his hand.

"Ah, none at all. Actually, it looks she's fallen off the radar, not even the news station have gotten a hold of her for a comment" she said as she help herself to the seat across from him.

"I can imagine after an incident like that she'd be half way around the world by now" Athrun said, flipping to another page.

"Are you sure you didn't want me to hire someone else in the mean time, I mean you may never get a response from her and I don't need company falling to bits and pieces without a replacement" the red head said with a yawn, twisting her hair around her finger mindlessly as she watched Athrun.

"You know if I wanted a baboon for the job, I would just go to the zoo. Probably would save me trouble in the long run" he said with a sigh as he brushed a few stray hairs out of his face.

"As talented as she is, we have no leverage over her, she could have moved on to another company" she said doubtfully.

"It's worth the risk" he said, grabbing another file.

"Well your the boss, you know what's right" she said with a smile before standing up. "So that's everything then?"

" Ah, yea. Today's your last day isn't it?" he said, still continuing to flip through the pages of his file.

"Yes, then you'll have twice the amount of work until you can find the replacement" she said as a small laugh escaped, sharp as always.

"This is for you then" he said, opening his right drawer and placing an envelope on the edge of the desk. Immediately immersing himself in his file once again.

"What's this?" the red head said, tearing open one side of the envelope to discover the contents.

" Just a token of thanks" he said boredly, once again sighing as he flipped the page of his report.

"I can't accept this" she said, placing the piece of paper back in the envelope and holding it out for Athrun.

"Consider it wages for your child's 8months work, and unpaid gratitude. This job is quite the nuisance" Athrun said as he dropped the file onto the desk and sighed once again.

"Th..thank you" she said, not wanting to push it any further. It seemed like he was getting rather upset with the incoming reports.

"Thank you as well. You've done good work over the last two years" he said as he glanced at the clock in the corner, dully noting it was already 8o'clock at night already. With that the red head turned and walked out of the room, giving a slight wave as she reached the doorway. Although the blue haired man was already back searching through the mounds of papers on his desk, her departure was vaguely noticed. It was just another late night at the office for Athrun.

* * *

><p>And that's that! I hope I didn't miss to many errors, editing really is my downfall. Comment to tell me if it's too bad or not. Other then that, hopefully I'll have another chapter out by next week if not sooner.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Hurrah! Chapter duex! Boring but destined to be better! Enjoy.

XXX is a short delay in time (within 24hrs usually)

* * *

><p>Presence<p>

Chapter 2

* * *

><p>Feb. 20th 2003<p>

Athrun sighed once again as he looked at the clock in the corner of the room. It was consistent that he'd be working till late in the evening these days. With emerging competitors that threatened to draw client base, he had to keep Zala corp. as the prominent figure. It would have made things a whole lot easier on him if he would hire a communication expert, although the extra hours were never something that bothered him. A sudden mechanical beep startled him. Sighing, he hit a button on the phone beside him. He really didn't like to be disturbed while he worked.

"Yes?" he said as he continued to flip through his papers.

"Mr. Zala sir, There is someone here to see you" came the deep voice of the front desk security guard. Another loud sigh was heard as Athrun glanced over at the clock.

"I'm not expecting anyone this evening" he said boredly. Did this man really expect to have someone show up so late after regular business hours?

"She insists greatly and apologies for the lateness" he retorted.

"Very well, send her up" Athrun said, clicking the button off once again. He didn't have a clue who would randomly show up but he knew he could use a bit of a breather, productive or not. Setting down the papers he had in his hand, he took his glasses off. Rubbing the temples of his head he could feel instant relief from not looking at the files. Taking a quick sip of his now cold coffee that he had managed to get while calling various clients, he waited. He glanced at the clock once again, figuring that he would probably be able to head home within the hour. The loud squeak of the door made him jump as a petite blonde woman poked her head through the doorway.

"Please sit and explain the sudden need to drop by" he said as he gestured at the chair across from him. Having never seen the women before he was intent on making this quick.

"I was wondering if this offer was still in effect" the women said as she withdrew and envelope from her pocket. Extending her hand, she handed it to Athrun. Picking up his glasses he extracted the contents, quickly reading them. What a shocking surprise this was.

"You realized this was sent over two years ago?" he said looking over the piece of paper at the woman. "Why such a late response?"

"I was out of the country for a while, I just got back today" she said, just as intently watching the blue haired man. Athrun couldn't help but smirk, he was right. She'd left the country as he predicted. The woman was a mastermind of relations in both business and politics. She could convince anyone, even a leprechaun to wear pink if she wanted. Most of it was inherited from her father, a great politician. This wasn't the first time he'd try to recruit her for his company. The first was when she was still in college. During an internship with one of his suppliers firms, she had caught his eye with her surprising wit. Although once the internship ended, she decided to follow more closely to her father and go after politics over business. The decision ended poorly, two domestic assault cases, one destroyed marriage, one hell of a press field day, and she'd been left without of a job. From there she simply dropped off the map for the last two years and yet out of the blue, here she sat.

"What can you tell me about this company" he quizzed, looking for the smallest of falter.

"Stocks are up 2% this week, and are projected to be up at least 20% by year's end. 60% market share, You produce 40% cheaper then any of your competitors..."

"That's enough" he said, it was pretty obvious she was quite knowledgeable. The fact that she already new production cost was a bit shocking. It wasn't something that wasn't publicly displayed and in truth, only two people in the whole company knew (3 including Mrs. Ex communications). It was their competitive edge that was kept in a bag should leverage ever be needed. Athrun continued to gauge the blonde, the overflowing confidence coming from her was incredible. Although he didn't want to drop a job on her lap after such a poor timing on her response, but her expertise would be quite the asset.

"One other thing.. I don't need a poor image reflecting on my company, so I'll ask this now. What happened two years ago was a misunderstanding that the news blew out of control? Yes or a No is fine" he said, not wanting to get a life story.

"Yes it was" she said sternly, as she brush a stray strand of hair from her face. "I was wrongly sabotaged" Athrun saw truth in her response, it would be silly now a days to take the news as creditable. They sat there in silence as Athrun ran various scenarios. Sighing, he removed his glasses to rub the tiredness from his eyes.

"Be back here by 8am tomorrow morning" he said sternly.

"Will do" she said standing up, extending an arm towards Athrun. "The names Cagalli by the way"

"Athrun Zala" he said, standing up and giving a brisk hand shake. Promptly he sat back down as the blonde quickly grabbed the few things she brought.

"Have a good evening" she said as she reached the door, Athrun merely nodded and gave a quick wave. After she was gone, he sat there for a long moment analyzing what had happened. Looking down he picked up the letter the woman had brought rereading once again. His choice seemed reasonable.

XXX

Getting to work a bit earlier then normal, Athrun got everything ready to go, even finding a few spare minutes to tidy the strewn about files on his desk. By 7:30 he was able grab a cup of coffee and be back at his desk just in time for the days newspapers. It was always important to keep to date with the news, and it was always a good way to start the day. It was ideal as employees would start showing up in about an hour for their days work, it was a peaceful silence he'd always like to indulge in. He hadn't even gotten a chance to take a sip of his coffee when his phone bleeped loudly. Immediately sighing, he clicked the button.

"What do you want?" he said as he flipped through his paper. It was probably something small like the heater not working or even Kira just calling to complain about lack of budget again.

"I have a Cagalli Attha here looking for a job" came the female guards voice, sounding rather perplexed. Light murmurs of arguing could be heard in the background. "Sorry, rather a new employee sir?" she said still sounding rather confused. Athrun looked at the clock in the corner, she was a whole half an hour early.

"Please send her up, and give her a permanent clearance pass" Athrun said, going back to reading his paper. He had gotten through almost half way through the paper by the time the blonde made it to his office.

"Good morning" the blonde said, as she pushed open the door to his office.

"Don't think being 30 minutes early will get you off of two years of tardiness" he said as he looked over the top his paper. Athrun was always blunt and to the point, he never wasted a moment and you could always expect him to say what was on his mind. Truth was he found a perfect way to punish her, not literally, but it would deal with the small problem to ensure that it wouldn't happen again.

"That wasn't the case at all Athrun" Cagalli said as she placed her briefcase down on the floor and removed her jacket. Being February it was quite cold outside this time of year, although from being in a city this big had kept the snow to a minimal, it didn't stop it from being freezing cold.

"That's Zala to you" he said, folding his paper and placing it on his desk. He didn't mean to come off like an ass, but he believed that employees should view there bosses with respect over friendship. Friendship usually put them same level, and the strive to succeed was typically lost "I'll show you were you can put your things"

Leading her down the hallway they came to a door, only 10feet from Athrun's own office. Pulling out his keys, he quickly shuffled through the the ring until he found the right one, and opened the door. "This will be your office" he said, removing the key from his key chain and handing it to her. The office was decently sized, a desk sat in the middle of the room with a bookcase and two filing cabinets off to the side. It also contained a small closet and a round table that could easily sit four people. On the table there was a few stacks of files and some papers. " Here is the contract, I'll need that turned in by the end of the day, so feel free to read over it." Athrun said, separating it from the rest. "Everything else you need is separated and labelled accordingly. Walking over to the desk he pointed to two large stacks of files. "My test to you. I'll use this to gauge whether or not your competent enough for your job.I'll need all of it done by the end of the month. It's various filing and follow-ups. Everything you may need of course can be found over there" he said, pointing back at the round table. "If not you can always ask me. Any questions?" Athrun said, looking at the blonde who had already put her things away and was reading through the contract.

"No I don't" she said looking up. "Actually, since it'll probably come up eventually. Where's the bathroom here?" she said, continuing to read.

"Very end of the hall, past the elevator" he said plainly, trying to read her expression. Again he could only get nothing but confidence and determination, but he'd see how long that would last. The work load he had given her was the whole last quarters (4 months) worth that had yet to be dealt with. It would be interesting to see how much she could get done in the month time frame. He wasn't expecting all of it to be done, but wasn't expecting too little of it done either. "That's it then, I'll be in my office if you need me" he said walking towards the door. As he looked back over his shoulder, he found the blonde was already sitting and flipping through a few of the files. It was good to see the women was more then eager to dig into the new workload, but he couldn't help but notice In a way it kind of reminded him of himself. Hopefully things would go well.

Marth 9th 2003

Athrun sighed as he got back into his office. He'd spent the late afternoon out of the office with Kira going over budgeting reports. While it was a nice breather, he still had a bit of work left and it was already late at night. Looking at his desk he found two large piles of files waiting for him. Taking one off the top of the pile, he quickly read it. He was shocked at the amount of detail and precision of the report. Going through a few more, he found himself in utter amazement. He'd only given the task a little over two weeks ago, and the amount of material he had given her was easily about 4months work. Even if he had done the work himself had he had the time, it probably would have taken him the month. Athrun sat down behind his desk, silently pondering his thoughts. He was truly amazed.

* * *

><p>Ta-da , hope you all enjoy. Feel free to critquecomment :D


	3. Chapter 3

Just a short flash back this time! But a more interesting one at that. Hope you all enjoy.

* * *

><p>Presence<p>

Chapter 3

* * *

><p>Nov 20th 2005<p>

Athrun sighed as he tossed his coat and brief case on the chair across from his desk. He was quite upset with the way his day had started, managing to get rear ended on his way to work. Looking at the clock he rubbed his already throbbing temples. It was already 9:30 and he had a telephone conference in fifteen minutes, giving him minimal time to prepare. Sitting at his desk he quickly cleared it, tossing the days newspaper into a drawer and extracting various files from his briefcase. He could hear heavy footsteps coming up the hallway and immediately let out a huge sigh of protest. Now was not a good time.

"Not now Kira, I don't have time for banter" he shot. The door having only creaked about halfway open before the retort.

"It's important Athrun" he said, now standing in front of his desk trying to draw his attention.

"I don't have time, I have a conference in 15 minutes and I just got here" the blue haired man argued, not looking up from his files.

"Athrun!" he pressed.

"Out!" Athrun said, pointing at the door. "and close the door behind you" the stress was evident in his voice, and Kira could tell that he wasn't going to budge. He would admit defeat for now, but he'd be back later. Hopefully. Hearing the door click shut, Athrun looked at door briefly. He was slightly curious as to what was so important, but the light ticking of the clock in the background nudged him back into his duty.

XXX

The day ticked by painfully slow. So slow that Athrun found himself wishing that he could just go home already, which was not something that ever happened. Even after everything that happened that day, it only seemed to get worse. After his conference finished, he had a fax come in from a supplier that was informing them of the incoming rising cost of production, Although it was always something to be suspected, it was seen as an odd request that seemed to a lot more then mere inflation. It was obvious that it was just a stunt to increase their own profit margins because they could, just because they were the only suppliers to be able to support the quantity of which he needed. Hitting a button on the phone, he waited.

"Yes?" came a rather small voice of Cagalli.

"I need a history of the company Sarkin. I need to confirm costs on their end." He said, reaching across his desk and grabbing another file. "Soon as possible please" As much as they could play the card of being the only supplier to produce at the quantity they needed, losing business all together wasn't ideal for them either. It could be played either way, and he didn't intend to let them get away with it. With a content sigh he looked at the clock. Only six o'clock. He'd probably make it out by nine if he'd pick up his pace a little. It was odd that Cagalli was still here, she was usually done spot on five, always managing to finish her days work with ease. Maybe her day, like his, was just as terrible. Picking up another file he started to read, wanting to evade the present. A while later the blonde stopped by, leaving a small stack of files on his desk. Just a little more work and he'd be done.

"Are you okay?" she said, noticing him constantly rubbing his temples.

"Yes, just a hard day" Athrun said, resting his head on his hand. Just a little bit longer, and he'd be home.

XXX

The rest of the week flew by with ease. Having come to an agreement with Sarkin on their dispute, it was dealt with for now. Although he wasn't completely satisfied with the outcome, he made sure that it wouldn't be something that happened again. Having decided to give them what they requested, he made a contract with them that for the following ten years the price would be fixed. Which, if inflation rates would stay consistent, it would begin to pay off in about three quarters of the time, much like a long term investment. Although such rates were not fixed and could end poorly for such a risk, which he hated. Having put another day of work behind him he sighed contently, clearing off his desk for the following week to come. It was only 7 o'clock and he figured he had a fairly productive week. Opening up his drawer he dropped in the few pens left, picking up the newspaper that was tossed in early in the week. Having never had the chance to read it, he quickly browsed it. A few pages in he immediately got up exited the room, knocking on the first door he came to. He knew she'd be here like every other day this week. The door opened and Athrun entered, following the blonde back to her desk.

"Did you need something?" she asked, picking up the file she was previously reading.

"Why didn't you say something" he said

"What are you referring too" she said, coming off uninterested.

"This" he said, tossing the paper he still had in his hands on her desk. The blonde glanced at it before going back to her file, frowning.

"None of your business" she said with a huff, going back to reading her file.

"No, I believe it is" Athrun said, getting slightly peeved at her lack of interest in the situation. "I can't have you doing shotty work-"

"My work is fine" she said cutting him off, overall still disinterested in the conversation.

"Cagalli, you can't tell me your father passing away isn't-"

"It's fine" she said, interrupting him once again.

"No, it's not" he retorted. "You can't say it hasn't come to mind once while you've worked"

"No, it hasn't ever" she said, still continuing to read. Athrun could only gape at her response, could she really just drown out such an incident with work.

"Cagalli, take the next week off" Athrun said, sigh heavily at the amount of thick headedness. "Your not to step foot in the office"

"I'm fine" she stated once again.

"and I'll pull rank, come in and your terminated" he said sternly, watching for her response. "I'm liable for everything you do, and I'm not waiting for a screw up before I fix it. Deal with it, and be back in a week" The blonde immediately looked up, glaring angrily at him. "Also, I want everything you've done this week, anything you've touched is to be on my desk before you go today, got it?"

"Yes, Mr. Zala" the blonde said angrily, still staring in disbelief. Returning to his office, Athrun sighed heavily as he sat behind his desk. He felt guilty about his behaviour but he reminded himself that it was better to be cautious. His mind drifted to earlier this week, he had always wondered what Kira wanted but he had never gotten back to him regarding it. It made him even more curious if he was trying to warn him earlier about this situation. He remembered later that day talking to Cagalli, saying how a terrible his day was, probably incomparable to hers. He couldn't help but feel like an ass. He rubbed his temples again, feeling a headache coming on. The creek of the door startled him, jolting him backwards into his chair. The blonde promptly dropped a large stack of files on his desk before turning around to leave.

"Thank you" he said sincerely. Although that too fell on deaf ears as her figure faded down the hallway. Sighing once again he took a quick glance at the clock before grabbing the first file on the stack. After reading through six of the files it was concluded they were all spot on as always, perfect. He was an ass.

* * *

><p>Next chapter will be out within the week, see ya then!<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

So, today I totally woke up and was like "I have a great idea for a story!" and so I do, but I want/need to finish this one. So I wrote this in one sitting feeling pretty damn inspired to finish it. It's almost done, there will be TWO more chapters after this one (6 total). There's one more flashback then there's the long awaited present! So here the 3d final on, enjoy! Next update will be a quick one, By tues :p

* * *

><p>Presence<p>

Chapter 4

* * *

><p>Oct 6th 2008<p>

Athrun looked around his room, once again checking to see if everything was in its place. Glancing over to the clock in the corner, he checked the time. Only 5 o'clock. He heard his door creak open and immediately knew who it was. The lack of being able to hear the oncoming footsteps meant it could only ever be the blonde.

"Here's everything for next week" she said, placing three thick files on his desk.

"Thanks" he said, sticking them into his briefcase to read at home over the weekend.

"You'll be at the charity event tonight correct? I don't need the press thinking we don't care" he said, clicking his briefcase shut. The charity event was something he funded every year. It was thrown for the all their suppliers and most importantly the War Child charity. It was there as a thank you for everyone in their company, their suppliers, and to raise awareness for the charity. There was no downside, just positives, or so he'd like to think.

"As much as I hate these events, I'll be there. Better for our image" she said , rolling her eyes. Work is work that must be done in other words, and failure was never an option to her. Although even when she was disinterested in such events, she always pulled them off with great success. Athrun often felt similar, but tonight was a different case, he had a date.

"Have a date?" he said, walking over to his closet to grab his coat.

"Nah" she said with a scoff. He couldn't help but stifle a small laugh, typical. The blonde was never a personal type, just work-work-work without stop. "Starts at 9pm, don't be late" she said warned before spinning on her heels and leaving the room. Athrun watched as she disappeared down the hallway for a quick moment, before zipping up his coat and grabbing his briefcase. Tonight would be a good night.

XXX

Athrun sighed as he got out of the limousine, immediately being blinded by the many flashing camera's. He really hated being so flashy with such things as limos, but it always came back to a notch power on the corporate world. Turning around, he held out a hand, a petite feminine one immediately grabbing it. Giving a slight pull, she emerged from the vehicle landing gracefully in his arms. The women was red headed, her hair pulled back into a high twist. She was almost as tall as Athrun with a lean figure to only add to the height. She wore a strapless, floor length gown that followed every curve of her silhouette. The women carried herself with such elegance is was almost infuriating to the women around her. Athrun wore a regular tuxedo and a tie that matched his dates pale pink dress. He quickly ushered them inside, escaping the many camera's. Inside was a huge ballroom, the very front of the room having a stage, with tables clustered around. This left the back a wide open dance floor with many attendants carrying trays of hors d'oeuvre and the nights selection of wine.

"Did you want something to drink?" Athrun said, looking to his guest.

"Yes, I'll take some wine" she said, brushing the side of his face with her hand.

"Dry red?" he said, recalling from previous dinners.

"Surprise me" she said, flashing a perfect smile. Unwrapping his arm from around her, he went to find closest attendant.

"Ah there you are" came the familiar voice. "Made it on time I see"

"Cagalli" he greeted, giving a quick wave towards the server to get his attention. The blonde wore a cowl neck dress that cut off right around the knees. It was pale purple with floral detailing down the side that draped beautifully. "How's everything looking"

"Good, no complaints yet. Everyone is almost here so thing's will get starting shortly. Press is contained for now. Hopefully it'll stay that way." she said, taking a quick sip of wine from her glass. Press were always all over these events, looking for anything they could use to forge a story.

"Good, I want everyone to enjoy the night without having to wake up to fall outs tomorrow" he said grabbing two glasses of wine off the servers tray.

"Ah, where's Meyrin?" the blonde asked, noticing the second glass in his hand. "Doing well I hope"

"She's here, she's excited to be such a focus of attention" he said with a slight laugh. Being such a successful corporate giant, he was a regular lure for reporters, nothing in his life was private. This was the cause of many problems for his past relationships he'd have before. Most of them having never last longer then a month or two because they quickly succumbed to the media pressure. If it wasn't the media it would simply be the flat out amount of time he spent with work. He'd heard it all over the years, but he was happy now, Meyrin was different. In the coming month they'd be at their first year anniversary. She could understand the need to work and it was great to have someone that could oversee that. "Anyway, I must be getting back"

"Seeya around, the blonde said, immediately disappearing into a group of guests. Athrun made his was quickly back through the crowd to his waiting guest.

"Athrun hunny!" Meyrin said as she noticed him approach. "I was just talking Kira. Did you know they're taking a trip down south soon? We should go too"

"Hello Kira" he said, briskly shaking his hand. "and of course Miss Lacus" turning to hug the long pink haired women. Athrun couldn't help but smile. Kira's girlfriend was always quite the drawer of attention, just as much as himself. Being one of the most successful pop singer these days and her outlandish appearance she was always drew a crowd. It was quite the contrast to Kira. "Enjoying the evening so far?"

"Yes, it's wonderful" Lacus said, smiling widely.

"So, what do you think Athrun? Can we take a vacation?" Meyrin pressed.

"We'll see, someone has to work for when the others all go on their vacations" he said, lightly laughing. To be honest with himself, he couldn't even remember when he spent a period longer then the weekend from the office. He didn't foresee a simple future coming with work either with the current market.

"Athrun Zala, may we have comment about your thoughts of the upcoming growth of the economy?" a large man injected, holding a notepad in one hand and a pen in the other. As if on cue a loud buzz was heard before a few taps.

"May we have everyone begin to take their seats, and have Athrun Zala to the stage to start the ceremony.

"Please excuse me, he said, grabbing Meyrin and leading her to a table. Being a gentleman he pulled out her chair, letting her sit. "I'll be back after I give my speech" he said smiling.

XXX

"That was one long speech" Meyrin said, as she watched Athrun return to the table.

"I apologize, is there something you wanted to do?" he said, leaning over and lightly kissing her forehead. By now the ceremony was over and there was a small gap between that and dinner. She merely tilted her head ever so slightly, heavily in thought.

"May I ask you to a dance" he said , holding out a hand as he heard the slow, relaxing music in the background. He'd enjoy the alone time.

"That would be great" she said happily, grabbing his hand. Leading her to the dance floor he place one hand on her shoulder, the other on her hip.

"So when can we get that vacation time you think" she said smiling expectantly at Athrun.

"I'm not too sure, I can't leave the same time Kira's gone" he said, curious to why she was so suddenly persistent as it was never the case.

"Well give me a date" she said, knowing that he'd never go back on it once said.

"I'm not sure, if I had to guess not for a few months. Work looks like its going to get rough in the up and coming months" he said, recalling current market trends. Although they were positive and growing, it was a typical trend they would always crash shortly afterwards.

"Don't hide behind work" she said as they twirled around the dance floor. Athrun sighed and glanced off to the side of the dance floor. He noticed the blonde off to the side surrounded by a group of men. Without a doubt they were probably all reporters going over the facts and numbers of the company for a press release.

"I want alone time, I feel like I know your work better then I know you" she said, pouting her lips. She was different right? Athrun shook the thought from his head, suddenly in need of a drink.

"You want a drink?" he asked looking for the nearest attendant he could find.

"Ye- hey don't change the subject" she said, now becoming very serious.

"I'm not, we can talk about it when I come back" he said, escaping though a group of people. Making to the edge of the ballroom he took a big breathe, he could feel his heart racing and he could already feel many oncoming questions. Slowly he gathered himself and searched out a server. After grabbing his two drinks, figuring it would be the best way to calm her down, he headed back towards Meyrin. That was cut short when the blonde and her group of reporters cut him off.

"Mr. Zala, can we get a few quick quotes for the papers" Cagalli said, gesturing towards them. "It'll only take a minute"

"Sure, what can I answer for you" he said with a smile, taking the extra few moments breather.

"Athrun!" came an almost shrill voice of Meyrin. "You left me to talk to some reporters?" she said as she glared at the group of men.

"No-no, I got you a drink, they caught up to me on the way back" he said, handing her the drink.

"Talking about work again.." she trailed off, now glaring at Athrun. The blue haired man was aghast at her current behaviour, he'd never seen this side of her before. Before he knew what was happening he could feel a cold and piercing sting on the side of his face. Athrun jaw dropped as reality dawned on him, Meyrin had hit him. The loud slap echoed off the walls as the then bustling of chatter had come to a complete stop. All eyes were now directed towards him and he stood there, jaw gaping, unable to react. Meyrin immediately stormed out of the room, muttering along her way out. Cagalli gasped beside him, shocked at what just happened. Chugging the rest of her champagne she took control of the situation. Shielding Athrun from the oncoming stares she quickly excused them and led them out the back.

"I'm sorry" Athrun muttered once they were out back, still unsure of what just happened.

"Don't apologise" Cagalli snapped, although she wasn't mad, he shouldn't have been apologising in the first place. "I'll call you a cab, your a mess"

"What?" he said, confused at her statement. Looking down at himself he realized he was covered in wine, Meyrin must of thrown her glass of wine at him. "Oh" Athrun sunk down on the concrete stairs holding his head in his hands. He had a blazing headache, that did nothing but hinder his capability to think through what just happened.

"I'll deal with the rest of this, just go home and rest up" the blonde said leaning over to see if he was okay. "You didn't cut yourself did you?"

"I'm fine" he said leaning against brick wall, looking up at the orangish glowing sky.

"I'm going to go back and sort this out, okay" she said, pocketing her cell. "Cab will be here any moment"

"Thanks" he said, taking a deep breathe of the cool night air.

XXX

The following week Athrun sighed as he sat down at his desk. He could already see the paper sitting on the corner of his desk. He could only imagine the horror it held as it retold what happened. He dropped his head onto his desk, the cool wood feeling rather refreshing on his forehead."Go away" he said, hearing the door creak ever so slightly.

"No way, have you read the paper?" came the blondes voice.

"Do I want too?" he said, lifting it off the desk and placing it in his hand. "Let me take a stab. Failure foresighted from failed relationship?"

"Your being overly dramatic" the blonde scoffed. "Read it" Athrun sighed, he really didn't want to. Opening the paper he rolled his eyes, front page. He looked over paper at the blonde looking defeated. "Just read it"

"So, everyone now pity's me. That's great" he said sarcastically, tossing the paper into the trash can.

"Considering what it could've been, that's far better. At least they didn't have a picture" the blonde said plainly, looking around the room.

"How would they get a picture, thought they were confiscated at the door" Athrun said, once again placing his head on his hand.

"You know it doesn't catch everything, people still find ways" the blonde said. "Think about it"

"I don't really want to" he said with a huff, looking at the clock.

"Well cheer up, you'll work things out" she said, walking towards the door. Athrun couldn't be bother to reply, he simply wanted to forget everything. Things never turned out to be different, just the same. Always, the same.

* * *

><p>That's it for this chapter! It was really fun to build a relationship all to destroy it in one chapter. Meyrin isn't the women from chapter one, fyi. Please review comment if I missed something or the typos are just god awful (I'll fix!). Thank you!<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

Sooo excited with this chapter, hopefully it'll start to answer any questions you might of had. I'm really happy with how it came out and it was surprisingly really easy to write. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

><p>Presence<p>

Chapter 5

* * *

><p>Jan 16th 2012<p>

tick, tick, tick... went the clock as it noted the passing of every second that went by. Athrun sat behind his desk amongst the mound of files that currently covered his desk. The week had just started and it was already looking to be quiet the frightening week. Quickly browsing page by page of a file, he sighed.

tick, tick, tick... the clock continued to provoke. He sighed loudly once again, dropping the file he hand in his hand on the desk. He glanced over at the clock, almost 4 o'clock. He had 40 minutes to come up with a solution. His head dropped to the desk with a  
>quiet thud, the cool wood being an instant refresher against his forehead.<p>

tick, tick, tick... Athrun inhaled heavily, wanting more then anything to just invest in a digital clock. The sudden creak of the door jolted him backwards in his chair, startling him. The blonde appeared, waving a handful of papers energetically.

"Athrun! You better not be sleeping while I work my butt off" the blonde scolded, glaring at him.

"Of course not" he said, picking up a paper. " Dear Athrun Zala of Zala Corp. It is with great displease that the Sarkin contract from Nov 25th 2005 be void, as the fix cost can no longer maintain the needs of the company. We -"

"Yes, I know I know" the blonde said hastily cutting him off. "Do you have any idea to get around this"

"Not a clue, they're cutting the losses and paying the fine but were out a supplier unless we pay the new cost, which I find once again rather greedy" he said, rubbing his temples. This was going to cost them big, he knew it. The deal made back then had paid out to it's potential, except now it was to the point were they could just pay the fine and reinstate a new contract. Overall it left them in a rather poor position. "I do think were out of options at the moment" the bluenette said as he crumpled the letter and tossed it into the trash can. "Sarkin wins this battle" he said dropping his head into his hand, looking forward to look at the blonde.

"You're being a bit dramatic aren't you" the blonde said, crossing her hands across her chest. "You know for someone that is to the point y-"

tick, tick, tick, tick

"Your doing it now, quit it" he said rather annoyed, the clock daintily bearing hits shadow over the whole problem was slowly edging the blue haired man into a terrible mood. "Do you have a solution?" As cold as his words came off, it was known it wasn't towards her, just at the predicament. Just the outcome from a stressful day that he couldn't wait to be over with.

"Of course" she said, flashing a big smile.

"Does it involve agreeing t-"

"Shhhh, Athrun I swear... I'm not an idiot" she said shaking her head. This was taking a whole lot longer to explain then it should have been. Athrun sighed and closed his mouth, intent on listening. The blonde stood there, lips pursed waiting for his attention. With a slight nod, she started explaining. Although he quickly found his attention shift as he pondered if he use to ever take this attitude back from an employee. Not that he minded, it just seemed odd to say the least. He almost laughed out loud as he thought who was really the boss in this situation. The blonde was obviously very skilled in her job, often assisting Athrun when things got excessive on his end. Not that he couldn't do it himself. His eye's followed Cagalli back and fourth as she paced the room, talking as she went. He couldn't help but notice her constantly brushing the hair from her face. A Haircut would be soon no doubt. She was wearing fitted dress pants paired with a blazer as per usual. It was odd to him that he couldn't once ever recall her wearing a skirt like most other female employees. It was a random, foreign thought but it made him chuckle.

"Athrun, are you even listening?" came the heated retort from the blonde who had stopped in her tracks.

"I'm sorry" he said sincerely. "If you can start from the beginning, you have my undivided attention"

"I said, we should switch our suppliers. One that at least won't give us so much grief" the blonde, watching the bluenette carefully.

"Okay, find me someone to produce at our level" Athrun said bordely. That was one of the first idea's he had but such quantity was hard to find.

"That's what I have done" she said, confidence almost radiating from her.

"Oh, and that is? Why wasn't this considered before"

"Arch Cor. They can't do it immediately but in two years they'd be able to handle the production. I figure we have enough stock in warehouses to bridge the gap" she said proudly.

"What's the catch" he said, remembering that at current capacity they might be able to squeeze one quarter or what they'd need.

"2yr contract. 200,000 Quarterly until they can add on an additional two plants. Fixed price for the following 6 years that will make up for the original investment" the blonde listed, handing a sheet with various numbers to Athrun.

"Fall outs?" Athrun said, slowly processing the information.

"We'll most likely take a hit from the press as Sarkin's will lay-off almost 2,000 workers from the loss of business." she said tilting her head. "It's not that bad, considering if we stay with them it'll just keep happening like it has been. That and the loss of job will go it Arch. Cor" The blonde had a point, regardless it was a risk either way. Athrun thought about it for a moment quickly comparing the two options. Her solution was a very good one and it never ceased to amazed him her ability to solve problems. Over the years the blonde had probably saved him millions of dollars through negotiations. He was truly lucky to have her. The last thought stuck in his mind, slowly repeating itself.

"Athrun! Your doing it again" the blonde said, noticing the blank stare. She'd been waving her hand in front of him for a response which had gone unnoticed. "What do you think?"

"Sounds good to me" the blue haired man said, pushing himself upwards to sit a little straighter in his chair. He was faltering a lot today and he didn't quite understand why. "Good job Cagalli" he said with a small smile, appreciating the hard work.

"Did you want me to stay and start working with the press" she said as she turned towards the door.

"I'll worry about that. You can head home early today" Athrun said as he started to write down notes on a pad of paper. "It'll most likely be a busy week, so rest up"

"It's really no problem" she said as she leaned against the doorway.

"No no, I'll be out of a job at this rate" Athrun joked, never was there a time where he felt unneeded for his job. Although in the back of his mind he sensed that a lot had change since then that we hadn't even realized. It was a nice change to be able to have someone so capable that he could trust, especially which such a large portion of his life.

"But-"

"Good night Cagalli" Athrun said, cutting her off. Cagalli admitted defeat and went to gather her things, giving a quick wave as she left the doorway. After the blonde left, he sat there for a long moment thinking about everything that had happen. He once had heavy weight on his shoulders that had now disappeared without him even realizing it. Although in the back of his head he had an unexplained nagging feeling. Deciding to deal with it later, he looked down at the work on hand.

XXX  
>Jan 20th 2012<p>

Athrun sighed as he looked at the clock, it was already 10 o'clock at night. He had already sent home Cagalli earlier as the majority of the days work was complete, he just wanted to deal with one more file before leaving himself. The week was truly the week from hell. After the news had hit the papers people acted as if the whole world was ending. Suppliers had threatened to bail out, stockholders sold off, and protesters had been trotting non-stop out the front of there building. Sarkin would be a pain till the very end and he was glad that he wouldn't have to deal with them again. Luckily things began to calm themselves down, the overall damage being only temporary. All he had to do was keep on top of the situation until it passed. It would have made things a whole lot easier if he wasn't so tired. The constant nagging feeling in the back of his mind still persisted, often keeping him awake at night. It felt like he was forgetting something, missing even. He looked down at the file in his hand, the words blurring together into a giant blob. Sighing he dropped the file onto his desk and rubbed his temples. Maybe a short break would help. He couldn't help but ponder his thoughts as he cradled his head on his hand.

Jan 21st 2012

The loud creak of the door startled the blue-haired man awake. The papers from his file stuck to his forehead as he shot back in chair. A quiet laugh was heard as his senses came too. Peeling the paper from his face he made a quick glance over at the clock, it was 7am. Looking over at the blonde he couldn't help but notice the shortened hair. She'd gone and got a haircut like he had guessed earlier in the week. He slumped in his chair as he put his head against the cool wood of the desk.

"Did you sleep here, or are you just having a bad morning" the blonde said with a bit of a smirk, obviously enjoying the humour of it. This wasn't something that ever happened, Athrun look like he'd taken a bad tumble...or two. His hair was tussled and his usually perfectly ironed suit and tie were wrinkled and strewn about. Athrun merely rolled his eyes, he didn't particularly care at the moment. His back hurt like hell and he still felt so tired still. He turned his head to look at the blonde who still seemed to be gauging the situation. If Kira had found him, he'd call a state of emergency at the wreck that sat here now. Although he felt comfortable enough around the blonde now that his regular image of the unfaltering serious boss had slowly melted away. Not that he was against it, he felt more at ease that he'd ever been.

"I could use some coffee" he said groggily.

"Your not going home?" she said, astonished. He continued to watch the blonde, her expressions stretched from shocked to humor. He realized she too, like him, had changed a bit over the years.

"No" Athrun said, pushing himself up to rest his head in his hand.

"You should take the day off, you've been at it all week. I can deal with everything for today" Cagalli said approaching the desk waiting to fight the incoming resistance.

"No" he restated, challenging the blonde.

"and you'll just walk around the office all day looking like that?" she said gesturing to his attire. Athrun sighed, she had a point. As much as he didn't care when it was just the two of them, he would never be caught dead like this anywhere else. "I'll call you a cab" she said, guessing that he'd be too tired to dive himself home. Athrun merely accepted the decision, not minding the blondes attentive care. Cagalli was always a great help to him, a great employee and she endlessly intrigued him. He really wished he could learn more about her. "You might want to fix yourself up a bit, there might be press down there by now" she said, remembering the few protesters still drew a small audience. Athrun stayed quiet as his brain slowly connected the dots. "Here, come take your jacket" she said, holding it out for him. He slowly got up from his desk, willing every muscle in his body just to move.

"Cagalli" Athrun said, slowly pulling on his jacket.

"Mhn?" she said, turning around to face him. Athrun looked down at the blonde, quickly thinking over what he was about to say.

"Would you like to grab dinner sometime" he said, trying to gauge her reaction. For a moment she stood there, slowly processing what was said.

"Athrun.." the blue haired man suddenly wished he'd stay quiet. As much as it made sense to him, it probably came out of the blue for her. "Your tired, you aren't thinking" she said, her face being completely unreadable. He couldn't tell if she was mad or what, but he was now panicking as he thought of the potential outcomes. Although he was truly interested in learning more about her. He stayed quiet, thinking of what to say next.

"I'm not" he said,deciding to stick with his decision. Maybe he was just tired, he wasn't the person to make such a risky decision that could either end positive or just end miserably.

"Fix your hair" she said, still being completely unreadable.

"I want an answer" Athrun said, being persistent. Being unable to gauge her reaction was only adding to curiosity that he wanted to learn so much about.

"Go home and rest, we can talk about this later" she said, giving a small genuine smile. He sighed, thinking through what his choices were. Choosing to take the cowardice route he'd resign for now. This would give him the opportunity later to opt out of what he said, blaming it on the lack of sleep and hopefully preventing anything drastic from happening. He quickly ran his fingers through his hair, making it a little more presentable.

"All good?" he said, his voice tinged with defeat.

"Yeah, head down and a cab will be there shortly" she said, the smile still persisting. At least she wasn't angry or maybe was she simply playing it off. Making his way outside he kept his head down, not wanting to draw attention to himself. Walking outside, the icy air hit him like a brick wall. Although it was sunny and bright outside nobody was around, everyone wanting to evade the coldness. The frigid weather only put him more on edge more, placing heavy doubts on his actions. Pocketing his hands he looked around for the cab, hoping it would be here soon. Noticing he forgot his briefcase, he sighed. Work was the last thing on his mind right now and he couldn't be bothered to go back in and grab it.

"Athrun Zala" came a loud shout, a short distance away. Turning around, Athrun looked as a heavy hooded figure approached him. He felt his heart leap into his chest for the second time this morning realizing something wasn't right. In his hand he could of swore he saw a flash of steel. "Do you know what you've done" came another shout. The man covered the short distance between the two of them in long strides quickly. Athrun took a step back, analysing the situation. In his head he was shouting at himself to run, but is body stood there frozen, unwilling to move. Within seconds the man was standing over him holding a long knife in his hands. Why couldn't he be wrong, just once. The next moment Athrun found the knife placed over his throat, the man was murmuring about his family and loss of job. He could smell a alcohol laced breathe, and found himself sad for the man. The next moment his body seemed to wake up, grabbing the hooded man's arm, trying to force knife away. Every muscle in his body screamed in protest as he struggled. His attempts proved to be fruitless, the remainder of his strength fading and it was only a matter of time before he couldn't prevent the inevitable. A sudden numbness and darkness fell over him, and he could feel his consciousness slip away. What had just happened?

* * *

><p>ONE CHAPTER LEFT! Hope you enjoyed! See ya soon! Maybe Thurs or Friday for the last one :P<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

HOLY MOLLEY, It's complete! So many words, I really tried to have this out yesterday but it was so long I couldn't edit it in time. So without further a due , here it is :D

* * *

><p>Presence<p>

Final Chapter: Six

* * *

><p>April 3d 2012<p>

Athrun took a large, heavy breathe as he came too. He laid there for a long reminiscing in the memories that he could now remember so clearly. They felt so real and offered a small glimpse of light in his now darkened world. The clicks and beeps seemed to be a lot softer now, recalling earlier that they were blaring loud. He took another breathe, feeling a heavy weight set back down on his shoulders. He had so many questions, and so many things he wanted to do which now seemed like such hard tasks. He really wanted someone to talk to but even he could easily tell he was the only one in the room which was eerily quiet and hollow. He found it easier now to keep his calm, although his heart was beating fast, he maintained rational thinking and control. It was unusual that there was no one yet to come and see him, he had so many questions to ask. The craving for interaction was pesky and non stop. Pushing himself upright, he felt weak, almost frail. It wasn't a weakness from being overtired, it was like the inability to lift something far too heavy. He brought his hands to his head, feeling the edges of what use to be a bandage was gone. He could feel small creases and bumps, most likely a scar. The skin around his eyes was numb but shockingly healed. Just how much time had passed? He hoped his company wasn't in too bad of shape and that the blonde had taken care of it in his absence. Cagalli...his mind lingered on the last time he saw her, he really hoped he didn't make of mess of everything. The sudden sound of footprints made Athrun surprisingly happy, hoping that he'd finally get some answers. He heard two sets of footprints, maybe the blonde had decided to stop by. The door rattled opened and a waft of cold air was felt.

"Athrun!" came the overly happy voice, obviously not the blondes.

"Kira" Athrun greeted, disappointment registering in his voice. Beside him a person rattled about, hitting buttons of the monitors. Most likely a doctor.

"How are you?" he said, slight pauses between each word he spoke.

"Fine, it probably looks a lot worse doesn't it" the blue haired man said, lightly feeling over the former wound."What's the date" he said as he realized that for such a wound to be already healed meant he must of been out for quite some time.

"Uhhn. They didn't tell you" he said, worry very apparent in his voice.

"The date" Athrun repeated, hating to have to ask again.

" April 3d" he said slowly. Athrun sighed, he hadn't expected it to be that long, over two months. It was no wonder he was so frail.

"Hows my company? Cagalli keeping it relevant?" Again there was another long pause.

"She's gone" he said softly. Another loud sigh came as his heart dropped.

"Who's been running the company then?" Athrun said, masking the concern for the blonde. Although it would be useless to ask as he already knew the reason why she left.

"I've been trying to... The board was waiting for a response from you before they found a permanent replacement" That made it a double whammy and he didn't like where it was going. Although Kira was a good worker he couldn't possibly take on the workload that he had on top of his current job.

"What was the numbers from last quarter"

"I don't know off the top of my head" he said stuttering ever so slowly. "I really need your help" This really wasn't sounding too good, at this rate it seemed everything he had going for him was going downhill faster then he could correct it.

"Can you go grab it and bring it here so we can go over it" Athrun said annoyed. By the sounds of it, things weren't going all to well. He'd like nothing better to sit there and indulge himself in work, but it was impossible without someone there to hold his hand. The overall thought of it enraged him, being so helpless was going to be irritating.

"You shouldn't be working" came the feminine voice which he'd recognise as Dr. Adams. "You should be more focused on getting better"

"I'll be fine" he said sternly, this wasn't something he was going to change his mind on. He needed to work, he didn't want to sit here and let his mind wander around and pity himself. "When can I be discharged"

"Not for at least a week" she said scribbling down a few things on a clipboard. "Depending on how fast you can adapt" Athrun took it as a challenge, the quicker he could get out of here the better it would be for him.

"Anyway, I have to get going. I have telephone conference in 30mins. I'll be back as soon as it's done" Kira promised as he approached the door. After he was Athrun sat there as the doctor continued to write furiously. He didn't like being unable to do anything, it just seemed so unlike him.

XXX

April 17th 2012

The last two weeks went by in a undefinable flash, through therapy and working with Kira to get the company out of its slouch, he had been busy. He had taught himself how to manoeuvre around objects, which had been frustrating at first but he refused to take failure and eventually prevailed. He wouldn't need a cane so long as he didn't go anywhere he didn't know. It didn't bother him as long as he could navigate his home and way to work without problems, he didn't really care to go elsewhere. The blonde had disappeared into the wind, Kira had tried to track her down but the address she'd given was vacant. He must of really offended her. He could feel his mood sink along with the thoughts and could immediately feel him self wanting to work in order to preoccupy his mind. Maybe finally being able to return home would calm the draining thoughts. He was happy that the hospital finally agreed to discharge him, the process being slowed from taking on the workload. He felt the cab stop and felt around in his wallet, opening it and extracting a bill.

"Keep the change" Athrun said as he grabbed the small knapsack and his briefcase. He enjoyed masking his new disability. He could always feel people get unconformable around him when they talked, and he didn't want the pity. He'd taken to the idea of hiding the truth behind a pair of sunglasses. Although he cringed at the thought of someone asking why'd he be wearing them in the middle of winter. He'd also managed to sneak out and get a haircut to fix up his mangled hair. His usually long dark hair was now almost all buzzed off, a mere two inches of it remaining. Athrun sighed as he recalled the outside of the building, using it as a perfect map. It was already late at night so he hoped there weren't many people about for him to bump into.

He was happy when he finally made it to the inside of his condo. His home was a small and modest place. It wasn't overly flashy as you would expect a corporate giant to be. It had the necessities, not too far out of the ordinary. It took a couple of attempts with the keys but he managed it without colliding with anyone. Dropping his items by the door he kicked off his shoes and made it towards the kitchen where he placed the sunglasses on the counter. Even though it was late at night, the blue haired man wasn't tired in the least bit. He was a bit happier now that he wasn't constantly under surveillance, slowly getting back to being his anti-social self. He debated what he could do for the night. Usually he spent the night reading one of the many books he had, but that wasn't an option to him. He could only work through a phone or with the aid of Kira, which crossed another option off his list. He didn't want to listen to the news either, knowing full well he couldn't do much about it at the time. Once again he found himself sinking into a self pitying pit. It was more a boredom then disgust for himself, but the two complimented one another. Luckily there was a light knock on the door, startling him for a quick moment. It was odd that he didn't hear the approaching footsteps, his hearing being incredibly sensitive.

"Hello?" he said as he opened the door, curious to who it might be. It was quiet, not a sound was to be heard and it was apparent there was no one there. Great, now he was hearing things. He rubbed his temples slowly calming himself back down, when a sudden thought dawned on him. He dropped his hands in front of him managing to land on the shoulders of a smaller figure. He could feel the person jump under the contact. He could feel an instant relief hit him as he realized who it was. There was a long silence.

"Your going to be quiet now?" he said, frowning. Maybe she was still mad at him, he wasn't quiet sure.

"Does it hurt" came the soft reply. Athrun was taken back from the question, was she not mad at him? He lifted a hand to shield the wound, remembering that he'd taken his glasses off.

"No it doesn't" he said, sighing. Another pause of silience followed. "I'm sorry Cagalli" trying to make amends to the blonde. She remained quiet once again as he waited for her response when sudden thought struck him. Was she blaming herself for what happened? "Uhnn, Did you want to come inside and sit, or stay in the hallway?" Athrun said, feeling a growing strain on his legs, his strength still not fully returned. He opened the door wider and allowed her to walk in. She moved silently across the floor, just the soft wind in her wake giving away the movement. He began to really hate that about her, but it was something he knew for as long as he'd known her. He shut the door behind himself and hit the light switch for the lights as he walked over to the sofa to sit, no longer being able to stand. The blonde stayed quiet causing him to listen so very carefully. A long drawn out sigh was heard a short distance away, probably looking at one the bookshelves that lined the walls. He'd sit and wait patiently for her response, feeling no need to rush at this point. Sure he had a ton of questions for her, but her presence gave him back a lingering thirst of interest.

XXX

Athrun felt his consciousness come in with an astonishing clarity as he woke up. So much for not being tired, he thought as he listened for any sign of the blonde. A light ruffle of papers was heard and he sighed in relief. She was probably reading one of his many books to preoccupy her.

"Your awake now?" she said, her voice having come back to its regular pitch. Athrun ran a hand through his short hair, it wasn't a surprise he'd fallen asleep on a dime. He hoped he hadn't been asleep for too long. It was still something he'd getting use too, always being in a darkness did have a drowsy effect.

"Yea, how long was I out for?" he said as he stretched out his now sore back.

"Not long but why did you apologise?" she said with a hint of confusion in her voice, getting straight to the point.

"because I think I offended you, and I feel ashamed of my actions" Athrun said regretfully, unsure of where he was going with this. It didn't quite solve the problem that he still really wanted to get to know the blonde more. The was another long pause. He let out a long sigh as he got up to grab his glasses, he had a feeling the sight of the wound was drawing her attention. Pity was the last thing he wanted from her. He felt around the top of the counter trying to remember what side he'd place them on. He exhaled loudly in annoyance as he came up empty handed.

"You don't need to apologize" she said, her voice now much closer causing him to jump. "Here" Immediately he feeling a something brush his hand. His hand wrapped themselves around the glasses, pausing for a brief moment to think about what she''d said. He was getting awfully confused now, she wasn't mad then? "I'm the one that should be apologizing" she said, her words getting quieter with each word she spoke. Athrun frowned at the thought of where this was going. She was blaming herself, although he didn't know how it was her fault in the slightest. "It's my fault"

"I don't agree" he said, tilting his head to one side thinking.

"It was my choice and now your blind now!" she said, a hint of anger in her voice.

"So" Athrun said slowly ponder through what he'd say next. "It not anyone's fault, just a unfortunate event" he said as he twisted his glasses between his thumb and forefinger.

"That's like saying you don't care" the blonde said in disbelief. He could tell in the tone of her voice there was a growing sadness.

"I don't... really. I can still manage everything, it takes a little bit of work but that's never been a problem" He said, unknowingly smiling. She was now getting mad at the fact she wasn't to be blamed, seemly ever so humorous. A long pause followed as she stood there perfectly still, thinking ever so slowly. Athrun took the time to walk back over to the sofa and sit. He heard a sigh for across the room. "Thank you though"

"What for?" Cagalli said, slowly approaching him.

"For caring" he said softly, a small crease of a smile still present. It was starting to make sense to him now. He felt around the edges of the healed wound, it wasn't something of pity but rather care she had for him that was making her so upset. She cared about the way of life for him, and she was simply upset for the current outcome. "Am I right?" Athrun said waiting for a reply, hoping it he wasn't over reading the situation.

"Busted, aren't I" she said as he felt a shift of weight on the couch, probably taking a seat for herself. He tried to picture her expression but found himself unable to and the next thing he knew he was outright laughing. "What's so funny!" she retorted, jumping back off the sofa.

"I can't picture your expression right now" he said, still wearing the biggest grin. "I'm happy too, I care about you as well" As he accidently dropping the sunglasses he'd been fiddling with. He heard the light scrape across the floor as the blonde bent over to pick them up.

"Here you go" she said as she gently placed them on him. A warm hand had made contact for the shortest of second on his skin and he found himself crane into the touch. She was standing directly in front of him, he could feel it. He couldn't help but think what was to come next. Before he knew it he had an arm around her neck and he was pulling her closer. His feelings being a lot stronger then he'd known. He stopped when he felt his rationalization come back, luckily. He didn't want to scare her by jumping 10 feet at once.

"So sor-" almost immediately be cut off as the blonde covered the remaining space herself. The warming yet almost numbingly sensation was almost unreal as their lips touched. A simple, mind melting kiss that almost a 10yr relationship hidden behind professionalism could muster. They broke apart and a long silence followed as Athrun stood there in a daze.

"What's wrong?" the blonde said as she noticed the sudden change in expression.

"Does this mean I get my dinner?" He said referring to morning of the accident, his smile returning shortly after. He was still so curious and intrigued about so many things, and he didn't want to waste time getting to it.

* * *

><p>End<p>

* * *

><p>Tah-dun! That's it folks! I had the most fun yet writing this fic, and I hope you have a good time reading it. I'll be starting another fic shortly after this for those of you curious (it'll be out in about a week for the first chapter). Hopefully I didn't let you down! Thank you so much for reviews and I hope to see in my next story!<p> 


End file.
